Plastic waste from crime scenes investigation secures Churchill Fellowship research grant
A University of Portsmouth PhD student will travel to three continents to explore sustainable forensic practices.
Becci Henderson will visit Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Singapore for her research. The former Crime Scene Investigator [CSI] and member of the Revolution Plastics Institute observed a marked rise in the use of single-use plastics [SUPs] at crime scenes.
Swabs, exhibit bags, PPE, wipes and drop sheets are among the items used by forensic teams which contribute to environmental degradation. While still serving in law enforcement, Henderson saw a single crime scene create 2kg of plastic waste, which cost £78 to replace. Adding to the footprint, a significant proportion of the materials were discarded without being used.
‘Despite the regular consumption of SUPs in the field of forensics, particularly at Crime Scene Investigation [CSI] level, the generation of SUP waste, and the overall sustainability of consumables, has never been addressed,’ said Henderson. ‘I need to change that. As police forces strive to meet strict ISO accreditation stipulations, the resulting mountain of plastic waste is worsening.
‘I want to reduce the reliance on plastic in the CSI and forensic sector, replacing it with sustainable packaging whilst, crucially, maintaining the integrity of the evidence stored within it,’ she continued. ‘I’m hopeful that by liaising with these countries and sharing ideas, I can significantly reduce the amount of plastic entering the crime scene sector and come up with solutions to ensure less plastic waste is incinerated or landfilled.’
Research will now focus on watching overseas law enforcement and their use of sustainable packaging, during which processes that could be replicated in the UK will be identified. In Australia and New Zealand ISO standards have already been superseded by custom designed CSI Quality Assurance Systems, cutting associated waste, with Australian forces now creating an average of 42.79kg of plastic waste per capita, less than half of the UK figure.
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Image: Daniel von Appen